Outreach

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Online Expeditions

Genomic and Proteomic Science in Antarctica
November to December 2009
In collaboration with the J. Craig Venter Institute
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CORSACS: Controls on Ross Sea Algal Community Structure
November 1 to December 16, 2006
A team of scientists from universities and research institutions from around the world explored the ecosystem of the Ross Sea near the continent of Antarctica.
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Recent Research Highlights

September 9, 2011
Psychotherapy for Plankton
Graduate student Erin Bertrand defended her Ph.D. dissertation this week before an advisory committee of scientists. In an article for non-scientists, she explains her research on how essential phytoplankton in the ocean struggle to get enough essential nutrients.
Source: Oceanus Magazine

January 10, 2011
Recycling Rare, Essential Nutrients in the Sea
Just like us, marine bacteria at the base of the ocean food web need iron to live and grow. One key species of bacteria seems to have evolved a way to use iron for photosynthesis by day and then reuse the same iron for different metabolic activities at night.
Source: Oceanus Magazine

October 28, 2009
Exploring an Icy, Invisible Realm in Antarctica
They may be microscopic in size, but plankton play a starring role in the oceans' food web and the Earth's climate. Scientists are just beginning to reveal the rich diversity of life in remote polar seas.
Source: Oceanus Magazine

June 7, 2007
Growing Marine Plants Need Their Vitamins
B₁₂—an essential vitamin for land-dwelling animals, including humans—also turns out to be an essential for marine algae. But its supply is limited in the ocean.
Source: Oceanus Magazine

Slideshows

R/V Knorr visit to Natal Brazil on October 12, 2010

R/V Knorr visit to Natal Brazil on October 12, 2007
R/V Knorr's October 12, 2010 visit to Natal, where U.S. scientists explained their research to 10 inquisitive public high school students, their teachers, and a federal university professor.

First Grade Students from Ohio Follow our Antarctic Expedition
A Lake Erie incubation in-class experiment was conducted with 1st graders in Shaker Heights Ohio, concurrently with our deployment in Antarctica. While we were conducted similar incubations in the Ross Sea, we answered questions from 1st grade students about science, algae, and Antarctica as they were learning and doing their own experiment.

Children's Book

Antarctic Adventure
by Elizabeth and Mak Saito
Antarctic Adventure is the story of author/scientist Mak Saito's research expedition to the Southern Continent. The book is targeted at children age 3 - 7. Simple text and stunning photographs highlight the adventure elements of fieldwork in the Antarctic (helicopters, snow storms, wildlife). Children learn where Antarctica is, what algae are, what glaciers look like, and the names of several different whales and penguins. More generally, they get a sense of what it means to do scientific fieldwork. A "Dear Reader" section at the end of the book goes into more detail about the expedition's research goals, which involve the importance of algae in global biogeochemical cycles

The book has been donated to a number of libraries and school classrooms in Massachusetts, Ohio, Florida, and Connecticut. All proceeds from the first printing of the book are being donated to children's programs in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
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Other interesting stuff

Mhari Saito WCPN Obituary
» Listen to Audio (Media Player) DSL/Cable Modem

Mhari and Tom's Wedding Song - Midwestern Night Dream II
Composed and played by Mak Saito, 2008.
» Listen to Audio (Media Player)

Last updated: December 3, 2012